Question

Fill in the blank with most appropriate word-
He preferred straightforward people to _________.
a) Snakes in the grass
b) Hidden daggers
c) Birds of a feather
d) Shady wheelers

Answer 1

Hint:Idioms are a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (e.g. over the moon, see the light ).

Complete answer:
In the given question, the options are idioms. Idioms may have a literal meaning at times, but mostly they have a metaphorical meaning. We have to check out the metaphoric meaning of the given phrases.
Now, let us examine all the given options to find out the correct option-
Option ‘a’ is Snakes in the grass. This idiom means that someone is a deceitful or a treacherous person. For example, He’s just a snake in the grass and a man you can’t trust.
Option ‘b’ is Hidden daggers. This is associated with a person who is hidden or is a spy. As a dagger is a silent weapon.
Option ‘c’ is Birds of a feather. It means that something is of the same kind or nature. The expression birds of a feather flock together mean that people who are alike tend to do things together.
Option ‘d’ is Shady Wheelers. It means a shrewd political or commercial schemer, especially one who is unscrupulous; a hustler; a shady operator.
As we have analyzed all the given options, we can easily figure out the correct option. Here, the correct phrase would be – snakes in the grass. Hence, option ‘a’ is the correct option.

Note:
 All the other options are plausible distractions. Don’t confuse between ‘hidden dagger' and ‘snakes in the grass'. Shady daggers are spies, unlike the snakes in the grass.